Vending machine



June 10, 1941. s, VAN TUYL 2,245,372

VENDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 5, 193,9

Van/Tu I/ INVE R.

, 5min H15 ATTORNEY.

I BY

Patented June 10, 1941 ATEN'E' VENDING MACHINE Sidney Van Tuyl, Berwyn,Ill.,'assignor to Claude R. Kirk, River Forest, Ill.

11 Claims.

A principal object of the present invention is the provision of avending machine of simplified construction and especially suited forvending or dispensing articles which may be pendently racked orsupported, such, for example, as bags and analogous cartons andcontainers.

Viewed from another aspect, the invention provides a vending machineincluding a rotatable magazine rack having a plurality of radiallyextensive article supporting arms on which articles such as bags andother containers having an opening therethrough may be slid into and outof pendently supported position on the rack by movement radiallythereof.

Another feature of the invention resides in a dispensing means forcooperation with the aforesaid magazine rack and which includes anoscillable dispensing arm mounted adjacent the rack for movement intoand out of radial alignment relative to an article supporting arm on therack such that an article may be slide off of the rack arm onto thedispensing arm when the latter is in a predetermined normal position,the dispensing arm being movable out of normal position into adispensing position away from the rack so as to make it possible for thepatron to withdraw the article therefrom.

Another feature of the invention relates to the provision ofcoin-controlled operating means for effecting movement of the dispensingarm into and out of normal and dispensing position.

Other objects and novel aspects of the invention reside in certaindetails of construction and the mode of operation of the constituentparts of the illustrative embodiment described hereinafter in view ofthe annexed drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the dispensing machine with the coverremoved;

Fig. 2 is a diagnol cross section through the machine along line 2-2 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective of the magazine rack and dispensingarm; while Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the rack armsustaining means and dispensing arm.

In the preferred embodiment of Fig. l, the machine includes a tank-likehousing ID in which is mounted a rotatable magazine rack H having aplurality of radially extensive rack supporting arms [2 which may bemoved by rotation of the rack into positions of alignment opposite ashort dispensing arm I3 mounted to extend radially on a dispensing discI 4 pivoted as at [5 for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis ofrotation of the magazine. The disc [4 is normally disposed in theposition seen in Fig. 1 with the dispensing arm l3 in a position forsubstantially radial alignment with one of the arms l2 on the rack.

Vendible articles of a type which may be pendently supported from therack arms I2, such for example as the bags l6 (Fig. 2) and which areprovided with apertured tabs ii at their upper extremities, are loadedinto the magazine by moving the same radially toward one of the rods [2so as to project the latter through the openings in the tabs H, in whichcondition the bags or other articles will be pendently supported fromthe arms in the condition illustrated in Fig. 2". It may be observedhere that the machine is especially designed to vend milk and beveragescontained in bags, although it will be understood that any package orcarton may be racked in the magazine so long as there is some form ofloop or opening for engagement with the rack arms l2.

Throughout the major portion of its peripheral or circumferentialextent, the magazine rack H is surrounded by a guard i 8 (Figs. 1 and 2)which is adapted to prevent unauthorized removal of packages at allpoints except the unguarded portion which is arranged opposite thedispensing disc l4 and which constitutes a dispensing station into whichthe various supportig arms are moved by rotation of the magazine. Theguard is provided with a door l9 hinged as at 20 to permit access to themagazine for loading, a suitable lock 21 securing the door againstunauthorized manipulation.

A preferred form of magazine structure includes a casting having a hubportion 25 (Figs. 2 and 3) from which radiate a plurality of integralweb formations 25 providing radially extensive slots, grooves or yokes21, each opening into the peripheral margins of the magazine so thatarticles may be moved radially into and out of the magazine for slidingmovement onto corresponding radially extensive supporting arms i2 whichhave their inner end portions |2a tapped or molded into the hubstructure 25 to support the arms or rods l2 in radial alignment with acorresponding groove or slot 21.

In order to accommodate a maximum number of articles of a given size inthe magazine, the casting is provided with web portions 29 whichinterconnect opposite side portions 2'6 of the several slots or groovesand in which are formed smaller radially extensive notches 36 (Fig. 3)having corresponding radially extensive supporting arms 3i mounted attheir inner extremities in suitable boss formations 32 at the inermostextremities of the Webbings 29.

Means mounting the rack for rotation includes an upright spindle 35mounted at its lower reduced end 36 in a thrust bearing 3'! in thebottom of the tank in and having its upper end portion 38 extendingthrough the hub 25 of the rack and a mounting plate 39 which is rigidlydisposed in alignment with the spindle by attachment to arms 48projecting from corners of the tank. Bearing means 37 and 4| areprovided at the opposite extremities of the spindle to facilitate freerotative movement of the rack about the vertical axis of the spindle. Atubular well 42 surrounds the spindle 35 from the bottom of the tankupwardly a short distance beyond a predetermined level which mayconstitute a normal water level in the tank in those instaces where iceor water 7 or some analogous heat exchange means is included in the tankand into which the lower portions of the several beverage containers l6may depend.

In those cases where the magazine structure is required to sustain aconsiderable weight, the free end portions lZb of the several supportingarms 12 are beveled to ride on a sustaining track or ledge 45 (Fig. 4also) which surrounds the rack concentrically throughout the majorportion of its circumferential extent, there being a small interruption6 at the dispensing station opposite the normally postioned dispensingarm l3. It will be apparent that when the magazine rack is rotated, thefree end portions lib of the several supporting arms will ride on thesustaining track 45 throughout almost their entire circumferentialtravel, this support being absent only at the interruption 36 in thesustaining track opposite the dispensing station.

In order to provide additional support for the free ends of the arms atthe dispensing station, the free end I3a of the dis ensing arm 13 isbeveled to complement and confront the beveled ends lZh of the severalarms so that as the latter are turned oil? of the sustaining trackopposite the interruption 13 therein, the beveled end portions 12bthereof will lie flush against the complementary beveled ends I311 onthe dispensing arm and will thus be supported at their free ends so longas any supporting arm is in alignment with the dispensing arm.

When an article supporting arm i2 is aligned with the dispensing arm i3in the manner aforesaid, the patron of the machine may slide the articlein a radial direction onto the dispensing arm I3, the tab portions ll ofthe articles or bags passing through the interruption 16 in suchmovement. Where the machine is coin-controlled, means are provided forlatching the disc id in normal article receiving position so that afterthe patron has transferred an article onto the arm l3 as aforesaid,deposit of a coin in the control device will be necessary to free thedisc It for turning movement to bring the dispensing arm l3 away fromthe magazine rack and permit Withdrawal of the article. The tank i isprovided with a cover Ida in which is a spring-closed trap door I90which overlies the dispensing station in the tank and which is raised bythe patron in withdrawing the article from the arm it.

One form of coin-controlled operating means for the dispensing mechanismincludes a coin control 50 (Figs. 1 and 2) mounted on a side of the tankand having an operating handle which may be depressed in effectivemotion only when a proper coin is deposited in the device 58. Areciprocable drive arm 52 (Fig. 1) is operatively connected with theoperating lever Si for reciprocation by the latter in coin-freedoperation, spring means 53 urging the reciprocable drive member 52 intoa normal retracted position. A lever 5 pivoted as at 55 is pivotallyconnected as at 5% with the reciprocable drive arm 52, the free end ofthe lever having pivotal connection as at 5'! with a link 58 pivoted asat he eccentrically on the dispensing disc M.

Due to the effort of the spring 53, the members 52 and 55 are disposedin a normal position to turn the dispensing disc or member l4 into thenormal position seen in Fig. 1 with the dispensing arm i3 disposed in aposition for radial alignment with any of the article supporting armsDepressing the operating handle 51 of the coin control will eifectmovement of the dispensing disc and arm i3 from normal article receivingposition (anticlockwise) away from the magazine and into articledispensing position where the article may he slid off of the arm I3 forremoval through the door We.

Since the spring means 53 coacting with the coin-control device iseffective to restore the dispensing means to normally latched positionas soon as the opertaing handle 5i is released, means are provided toassure dispensation of the selected article, this means including anejecting apron (it hingedly mounted as at (ii on the under side of thedispensing disc M and normally positioned by spring means 62 coactingtherewith radially inward of the end of the dispensing arm l3, and inthis sense behind an article on the arm. When the disc is turned intodispensing position, the apron is engaged by a stationary bracket means63 which pivots the apron radially outward against the article on thearm i3 and effects removal of the article from the arm, said articleresting on a flOOI portion of the cabinet structure adjacent thedispensing station and beneath the door lilo. When the dispensing discis restored to normal article receiving position, the spring means 62automatically turns the ejecting apron back into unobstructing position.

The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized in otherforms oi construction and modes of operation than described inconjunction with the preferred embodiment described in detail herein forpurposes of illustration, and the invention is therefore not to berestricted to the details disclosed and described except as may beprovided in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. In a vending machine, a rotatable magazine carrier including aplurality of article supporting arms projecting radially of the axis ofrotation thereof, said arms being adapted to have articles suspended inpendant fashion therefrom, said articles being adapted to be removedfrom said arms only by movement of the articles radially off the freeends of the arms, and dispensing means including a dispensing memberarranged for movement into and out of substantially radial alignmentwith any one of said arms and onto which dispensing member an articlemay be transferred by radial movement on" a supporting arm onto thedispensing member, means for preventing removal of an articletransferred as aforesaid from the dispensing member so long as thelatter is in alignment with the supporting arm as aforesaid, and meansfor moving said dispensing member from aligned position to a dispensing'position wherein said transferred article may be removed therefrom.

2. In a vending machine, a rotatable magazine carrier having radiallyextensive article supporting arms adapted to support articles havingopenings into which said arms may be projected by movement of thearticle radially relative thereto onto and 01f the ends thereof, anddispensing mechanism including a dispensing arm arranged for rotativemovement about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the magazineso as to dispose the dispensing arm in a normal position for alignmentwith one of said supporting arms, said supporting arms being severallyalignable with the dispensing arm by rotative movement of the magazine,whereby articles on said supporting arms may be transferred by movementradially off the same onto the aligned dispensing arm, said dispensingarm being arranged and constructed to prevent removal of a transferredarticle therefrom so long as the same is aligned as aforesaid, saiddispensing arm being movable into a dispensing position wherein atransferred article may be removed therefrom, and coin-controlled meansfor moving said dispensing arm into and out of aligned and dispensingpositions.

3. A vending machine comprising a housing, a magazine carrier mountedfor rotation about a vertical axis in said housing, said carrier havinga plurality of radially extensive article supporting arms withunobstructed radially outer end portions which may be projected throughopenings in articles moved radially onto said arms for pendent supportof said articles, guard means substantially surrounding said magazinecarrier to prevent removal of articles from said arms, said guard meanshaving an interruption constituting a dispensing station through whicharticles may be moved radially off a supporting arm, and dispensingmechanism including a dispensing member movable into and out of aposition of alignment relative to a supporting arm at said dispensingstation, whereby an article may be transferred by radial movement from asupporting arm at said station onto said dispensing member,coin-controlled mechanism for moving said dispensing member from alignedposition as aforesaid into a dispensing position wherein an article maybe removed from the dispensing member, and means coacting with saidcoin-controlled mechanism for normally moving said dispensing memberinto aligned position.

4. In a vending machine, a magazine carrier arranged for rotation, saidcarrier having a plurality of radially projecting article supportingarms having unobstructed radially outer end portions relative to whichapertured articles may be moved radially onto and off the arms, guardmeans surrounding said magazine to prevent removal of articlestherefrom, said guard means having an interrupted portion constituting adispensing station through which an article may be removed from asupporting arm aligned with said station, and dispensing mechanismincluding an oscilla-ble dispensing member arranged for movement intoand out of a normal position for alignment with a supporting arm alignedwith said station such that an article on the aligned supporting arm maybe transferred by movement radially ofi the same onto the dispensingmember, said dispensing member being arranged and constructed to preventremoval of the article therefrom and from the machine so long as thedispensing member is in said normal position of alignment, saiddispensing member being movable out of normal position into a dispensing'position wherein said article may be removed therefrom, meansyieldingly urging said dispensing member into said normal position, andcoincontrolled means operable to move said dispensing member intodispensing position.

5. In a vending machine, a rotatable magazine having a plurality ofradially extensive article supporting arms with substantiallyunobstructed free outer end portions, said arms being adapted to supportarticles having arm engaging formations movable radially onto and offthe arms over the outer end portions thereof, sustaining meanssubstantially surrounding said magazine and on which said outer endsofthe supporting arms ride during the major portion of their rotativemovement with the magazine, said sustaining means having an interruptedportion constituting a dispensing station, guard means substantiallysurrounding said magazine with an interruption aligned with saiddispensing station and interruption of the sustaining means, andcoin-controlled dispensing means arranged opposite said dispensingstation and including an article receiving member onto which an articlemay be moved radially off a supporting arm and through saidinterruptions in the sustaining means and guard means for support on thearticle receiving member, said article receiving member being movablecooperably with said coin-controlled means into a dispensing positionwherein said article may be removed therefrom and from the machine.

6. In a vending machine, a rotatable magazine having a plurality ofradially extensive article supporting arms with substantiallyunobstructed free outer end portions, said arms being adapted to supportarticles having arm engaging formations movable radially onto and oiTthe arms over the outer end portions thereof, sustaining meanssubstantially surrounding said magazine and on which said outer ends ofthe supporting arms ride during the major portion of their rotativemovement with the magazine, said sustaining means having an interruptedportion constituting a dispensing station, guard means substantiallysurrounding said magazine with an interruption aligned with saiddispensing station and interruption of the sustaining means, andcoin-controlled dispensing means arranged opposite said dispensingstation and including an article receiving member onto which an articlemay be moved radially ofi a supporting arm and through saidinterruptions in the sustaining means and guard means for support on thearticle receiving member, said article receiving member being movablecooperably with said coin-controlled means into a dispensing positionwherein said article may be removed therefrom and from the machine, andejecting means coacting with said coin-controlled dispensing means foroperation upon movement of said article receiving member into dispensingposition to automatically eject an rticle from said article receivingmember.

7. In a vending machine, a magazine carrier in the form of a membermounted for rotative movement and having a plurality of radiallyextensive article supporting arms supported only at their radially innerends, articles being adapted to be moved onto and off said arms only byradial movement relative to the outer ends of the same, and meansproviding a circumferentially extending sustaining ledge underlying saidouter ends of the supporting arms and on which said ends ride throughoutthe major portion of the cycle of travel of said arms to provideadditional support for the same, said sustaining ledge hav' ing adischarge interruption at a particular point therein and with which theouter ends of any of said supporting arms may be aligned by rotativemovement of the magazine member, articles being adapted to be movedradially off arms aligned as aforesaid through said dischargeinterruption and a circumferentially extending guard member surroundingsaid magazine member and efiective to prevent removal of articlesradially off any of said arms, said guard member having a dischargeinterruption aligned with the discharge interruption in said sustainingledge, and coin-controlled article receiving means arranged opposite thedischarge interruptions in said sustaining ledge and guard means andonto which articles are manually transferred by radial movement off asupporting arm aligned with the discharge interruptions in the manneraforesaid.

8. In a device of the class described, dispensing mechanism for use witha rotatable article magazine having radial article supporting arms ontoand ofi which articles are moved radially, said dispensing mechanismincluding a dispensing arm and means mounting the same for oscillatorymovement into and out of a position for alignment with any one of saidarticle supporting arms of the magazine, and mechanism for oscillatingsaid dispensing arms.

9. In a device of the class described, dispensing mechanism for use witha rotatable article magazine having radial article supporting arms intoand on which articles are movable radially, said dispensing mechanismincluding a dispensing arm and means mounting the same for oscillatorymovement into and out of a position for alignment with one of saidarticle supporting arms of the magazine, and mechanism for oscillatingsaid dispensing arm, ejecting means including a member mounted formovement with said dispensing arm and for movement relative to saiddispensing arm, yieldable means urging said ejecting member into anormal position out of obstructing relation to an article on said arm,and means operatively engageable by said ejecting member when said armis moved out of normal aligned position to move said ejecting memberinto engagement with an article on said arm and effect ejection of saidarticle from said arm.

10. In a vending machine, in combination, a rotatable article carrierhaving a plurality of radially extending article supporting arms withunobstructed radially outer end portions relative to which articles aremoved radially onto and oil the arms, means providing acircumferentially extending sustaining ledge underlying said outer endsof the supporting arms throughout the major portion of their circuit oftravel, said sustaining ledge having a discharge interruption at whichthere is no support for an arm aligned therewith and through which anarticle may be moved radially off an aligned arm, and dispensingmechanism including a dispensing arm mounted for movement into and outof alignment with said discharge interruption in the sustaining ledge,said dispensing arm being arranged and constructed to supportably engagethe outer end of any of said supporting arms aligned with said dischargeinterruption in the sustaining ledge.

11. In a vending machine, the combination with P a rotatable magazinehaving radially arranged article carrying means from which articles maybe displaced radially for removal from the magazine, of dispensing meanscomprising: An article receiving member mounted adjacent said magazinefor oscillation about an axis parallel with the axis of rotation of thelatter and into and out of substantially radial alignment with any ofsaid article carrying means aligned with respect to the dispensing meansby rotative movement of the magazine, whereby articles may betransferred from said magazine onto said article receiving member whenthe latter is aligned as aforesaid, said receiving member being soconstructed and placed in such proximity to the magazine thattransferred articles cannot be removed therefrom so long as thereceiving member is in alignment as aforesaid, articles transferred asaforesaid being removable when the article receiving member isoscillated out of alignment, and means for effecting oscillation of thearticle receiving member into and out of alignment as aforesaid.

SIDNEY VAN TUYL.

